In observance of New York State History Month, " "From West Manor to Westmere: Three Hundred Years of Guilderland's Place Names" will be the subject of a photo exhibit on display at Guilderland Public Library during the month of November.

Drawn from the Guilderland Historical Society's extensive photo archive, the pictures and captions will explain the origins of the names of geographical features and the Town's many communities.

In conjunction with the display, Historical Society member and exhibit creator, Mary Ellen Johnson, will present a program at the Library on Saturday November 28th at 2 pm.

All those with an interest in Guilderland's history are urged to stop by for this free program.

Saturday January 14th, 2017

The Guilderland Historical Society participated in the "New York State’s Great Places and Spaces" program at the New York State Museum.

Historical societies from the Capital Region provided information to the public and had table displays representing their organizations.

2016 OPEN HOUSE AND GREENS SHOW "O CHRISTMAS TREE!" was held December 2-4th at the MYNDERSE-FREDERICK HOUSE

It was sponsored by the Guilderland Garden Club and Guilderland Historical Society'

2015 GHS Programs

November 2015

The Simple Life: Guilderland Before Modern Technology? will be the Guilderland Historical Society?s program at their November 19th meeting. Using slides from the society?s extensive photo archive, Mary Ellen Johnson will describe daily life in our late 19th century rural town just prior to the familiar old ways of doing things being overturned with the advent of automobiles, movies, telephones, electricity and radio in the next quarter century.

October 2015

“Smugglers, Spies and Skeletons: Tales of Travel On The King’s Highway,” a power point presentation given by Steve Rider, is the program scheduled for the Guilderland Historical Society’s October 15 meeting. From colonial days until it was replaced by improved turnpikes early in the 1800s, this road was the main route between Albany and Schenectady. This program is the result of five years of research into the highway’s history and folklore with Mr. Rider investigating the holdings of local historical societies, libraries and archives. In addition he has walked and photographed fragments of the road still remaining and has unearthed images of buildings which have long since disappeared.

September 2015

"CASEY AT THE BAT" presented by Tim Wiles

At the Guilderland Historical Society?s September 17 meeting Tim Wiles will take on the persona of a 19th century ball player, garbed in uniform of the era, reciting the 1888 comic poem ?Casey At The Bat.? Ernest Thayer?s ballad, which immediately became a vaudeville feature recited thousands of times over the years, has been used or referred to in musicals, drama, an opera, TV, film, books, comics, recordings or parodied. Casey even appeared on a 1996 United States postage stamp, part of a series honoring American folk heroes. The poem is not only part of baseball history, but American popular culture as well.

May 2015

Three Twentieth Century Archeologists Who Discovered the Prehistory of New York State?

At the May 21 meeting of the Guilderland Historical Society Dr. Galen B. Ritchie?s presentation ?Three Twentieth Century Archeologists Who Discovered the Prehistory of New York State? will trace the story of New York State?s first three professional archeologists as they investigated New York?s earliest inhabitants and developed a methodical scientific approach to archeological field work. At the same time they were establishing the basis of New York?s prehistory.

April 2015

Coping with Life's Necessaries: Cleanliness and Sanitation in the 18th Century by Michelle Mavigliano

Coping with Life's Necessaries: Cleanliness and Sanitation in the 18th Century was Michelle Mavigliano's power point presentation at the Guilderland Historical Society?s Thursday, April 16th meeting. Ms. Mavigliano, an interpreter on the staff of Albany?s 18th century Schuyler Mansion will acquaint us with the methods our ancestors utilized to cope with their primitive water supplies and inadequate waste disposal, which often resulted in contaminated water and disease.

March 2015

VICTORY TURNED INTO MOURNING

"Victory Turned Into Mourning: Farewell to Lincoln and Grant at the New York State Capitol" will be the program at the Guilderland Historical Society's March 19th meeting. Stuart W. Lehman?s power point presentation using historic photos will tell us about the sad, and now almost forgotten moments of 150 and 130 years ago which occurred when in April 1865 the body of Abraham Lincoln and in August 1885 that of General and former President Ulysses Grant lay in state at New York State?s Capitol as their remains were passing through by rail to their final funerals. In each instance thousands of local citizens passed through to show their respect for these two esteemed leaders. Mr. Lehman will also display some memorial and mourning artifacts of the period from his personal collection.

February 2015

Our Home Town by Sean and Conor Quinn

Sean Quinn, an 11th Grader and Conor Quinn, a 10th Grader from Guilderland High School, will give a Power Point Presentation called "Our Home Town".

Last year they became involved in the annual research competition, sponsored by the New York State Archives for students in grades 4 through 12. They decided to examine the lives of Guilderland's 19th Century Chesebro brothers.

The Quinn brothers will describe how they choose their topic, the challenges they met in amassing their information and how they fared in the competition, as well as telling us who the Chesebro brothers were!

FREDERICK FAMILY TOUR OF MYNDERSE-FREDERICK HOUSE

On July 5th, the three children of Raymond Lincoln Frederick, Jr and his wife Elizabeth, along with several other family members, were given a tour and informative talk by Mary Ellen Johnson, Vice-President of the Guilderland Historical Society. They viewed several old photos, a poem, and a book which contained family history, as well as looking at the main rooms of the houseThey also toured the grounds and gardens.